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It’s certainly fun to know something about the artists around us in SoHo and the surrounding areas. And one such artist is Jill Platner. Her sculpture website has adorable pictures where she puts her own dog next to her sculptures to show their size and scope. Have a look and enjoy. As she explains about her sculptures, “They all spin. When they are hung outside, they move with the wind. I am fascinated by movement, mechanics and the way things go together.”

In terms of her own living arrangements and study, Platner got very lucky. While a 21 year old student at the Parsons School of Design, she fell in love with a TriBeCa restaurateur and together they moved into a loftlike fourth-floor walk-up in NoHo. When they broke up, she got to keep the place and she has been there ever since.

She opened her Crosby Street jewelry store in 1998 and she makes most of her sculptures in the building next door to her in a three-level carriage house. She assembles most of her sculptures in her loft, however, since they are so large.

If you’re in the market for hip glasses, you can now enjoy Dita. The West Coast eyewear brand has not come to SoHo. Founders John Juniper and Jeff Solorio have opened their first flagship store on Lafayette south of Houston.

As they said, “We feel our customers enjoy shopping in Soho even if they live up town or visit New York. Eyewear is a very personal item therefor we want our customers to enjoy their shopping experience in a relaxing environment; a large space downtown with large windows was a natural choice.”

They currently have three stores in Newport Beach, LA and Tokyo and now they are adding the SoHo addition. The brand has been active since 1995, now plans to open a manufacturing facility in Sabae, Japan. The glasses take almost eight months to make and range in retail price from $390 to $1000 for the Lancier series.

Some of you may remember when Beyonce wore a pair of Dita glasses in her 7/11 video. These retailed for $375. Come in soon and enjoy a chance to be like Beyonce.

If you love cats and enjoy pastries – you’re in luck now in SoHo. Meow Parlour has just opened and this is New York City’s first permanent cat cafe. Yes, you heard that correctly.

Meow Parlour comes from two bakery owners who already have Macaron Parlour. They have partnered with KittyKind, a rescue group for cats, to create a place for people to get pastries and check out the adoptable cats.

As Meow Parlour co-founder Emilie Legrand said, “Our goal is to have as many cats adopted as possible. Our partnership with KittyKind is very important to us.”

As many as 20 customers at a time can sit and relax here. But you’re charged for your time at Meow Parlour at the rate of $4 for every half our. There is a children’s hour as well for $6 per hour.

As Christina Ha, co-founder, said “Our space is designed with both people and cats in mind. I hope people are happy coming here; to enjoy some coffee and pastries, and to relieve some stress.”

At the moment the cafe, with the full name Meow Parlour Patisserie, is only open by appointment. They hope to start inviting walk-ins next month.

If you’re one of those New Yorkers who travels abroad to get your COS clothing fix, then you’re now in luck. COS has opened a New York flagship in Soho at 129 Spring Street (and one in Beverly Hills as well). COS is a subsidiary of the Scandinavian retailer H&M.

NYPost sat down with Martin Andersson, the head of men’s design, to ask him a few questions. He explained that the new COS in SoHo is housed in a basement with an actual water well. When asked about his approach to the collection each season, he said that “function is so important.”

Born in 1973 in Azerbaijan, Beyler Eyyubov became a fan of Jazz early on. He became enthralled with such stars as Salman Gambarov, Aziza Mustafa Zadeh, and has even shared the stage with Shahin Novrasli.

After moving to Brooklyn in 1997, Beyler Eyyubov settled in quickly and began playing around town in local clubs and festivals. Making the move to the Manhattan music scene has been slow in coming, but we can expect him to make an appearance soon.

One popular place that would be a perfect fit for Eyyubov is the quirky but comfortable Angel Orensanz Foundation Arts Center at 172 Norfolk Street at Stanton and Houston. The foundation was created in 1992 by a group of artists who were inspired by the art of sculptor Angel Orensanz. Housed in the oldest Jewish house of prayer in the city, it was the first synagogue of the Reform movement in the USA. Although there is only rarely a musical event held there, it would be wonderfully appropriate to hear the sounds of Beyler Eyyubov performing in this great space sooner rather than later.

If you love sportswear, you’ll love that Lululemon is coming. This high end sportswear brand is opening its first menswear store in SoHo. The store, at 127 Prince Street is hoping to get into the men’s fitness market with yoga wear, cross training apparel and running items.

As Felix Del Toro, the Senior Vice President and Head for Men’s Design for Lululemon told the Daily News, “SoHo offers a very specific shopping experience tailored to men’s activities. It’s inspiring to see the fitness scene grow and evolve in New York.”

He continued, “We’re thrilled to open our first men’s standalone and think that it’s the perfect place for this journey to begin.”

If you’re in the neighborhood, check out the Boohoo.com pop-up shop that just opened at 462 West Broadway in SoHo. It includes two floors of men’s and women’s apparel and accessories straight from the website. Most items are priced from $20 to $60. Now Boohoo carries over 8000 items on its site at any one time – and the store only has a fraction of this selection. But it’s still nice to see what you might want to buy.

Boohoo only launched a US version of its website last year and it’s now the fourth largest market after the UK, Australia and Europe. As Carol Kane, joint chief executive of Boohoo said, “A large part of our U.S. strategy is to increase brand awareness and so the timing was right for a marketing activation that would help us do this.”

In order to bring in shoppers, Boohoo plans to have many music events and blogger meet-and-greets, so make sure to check back at their website. The store is open from 11-7 seven days a week until November 14th.

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We are a group of writers living below 14th Street in Manhattan. There is so much to do and see below 14th Street we felt it was time to show others what we have. Come learn and love this mix of neighborhoods and people.